OUR WORK
Ad Astra has more than 10 years of experience in the field of dialogue, interfaith-work
inclusive cultural heritage for children in schools, preschools, and daycares.
We also publish digital and printed material to support families, educators and institutions. Ad Astra's work is made possible thanks to private funders as well as funding from the Finnish State and Municipalities.
inclusive cultural heritage for children in schools, preschools, and daycares.
We also publish digital and printed material to support families, educators and institutions. Ad Astra's work is made possible thanks to private funders as well as funding from the Finnish State and Municipalities.
Arts and Culture for Children
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Ad Astra hosts storytelling events at daycares, schools and cultural centers both indoors and outside in the garden. We also have twelve feast-tales in digital format available in seven different languages.
Click here to watch the stories in Finlandic-Swedish Sign Language.
Click here to watch the stories in Finlandic-Swedish Sign Language.
My Language
Sounds, words and stories in the language of your parents is essential for every child. Therefor we offer children age 5-10 story-performances with music in their own language. We started with Arabic and continue with Ukrainian, Russian and other languages. We also started to translate our audiotales to Romani and Romani Kale.
Together with a cultural center, museum, daycare or preschool we plan and host feasts, such as Ramadan, Nouruz, Pesach, Lucia, the Lunar Festival etc. You can keep track of feasts and lents in our feastcalendar.
Workshops for NGOs
Our workshops for NGOs aims to introduce participants to equity and anti-racism by giving them tools to visualize racist structures both indivdually and institutionally, to further aid them in including anti-racist practices in their work. The workshops are conducted over three interactive 2,5 hour sessions. All workshops are constructed with a combination of storytelling methods and Critical Race Theory (CRT) to highlight real life experience.
Workshop 1: Introduction to Anti/rasism
The aim is for participants to understand the history behind race and racism and be able to identify how racism can be expressed in different contexts.
Workshop 2: Whiteness and Finnishness
The aim is for participants to understand the concept of whiteness and how itäs connected to norms and power. The participants will also practice identifying their own whiteness.
Workshop 3: Anti-racist strategies
The aim is for the participants to reflect on active antiracist strategies within their organizations based on what they have learned during the previous workshops.
Workshop 1: Introduction to Anti/rasism
The aim is for participants to understand the history behind race and racism and be able to identify how racism can be expressed in different contexts.
Workshop 2: Whiteness and Finnishness
The aim is for participants to understand the concept of whiteness and how itäs connected to norms and power. The participants will also practice identifying their own whiteness.
Workshop 3: Anti-racist strategies
The aim is for the participants to reflect on active antiracist strategies within their organizations based on what they have learned during the previous workshops.
Workshops for schools and universities
Introductory workshop in norm critique
This 60 minute workshop is built for high school students. The workshop helps students identify norms in the classroom through interactive exercises and examples. The aim is for the participants to both understand their own position and how it's affected by surrounding norms.
Workshop education in Antiracism for universities/higher educational institutions
This three part education aims to introduce participants to equity and anti-racism by giving them tools to visualize racist structures both indivdually and institutionally, to further aid them in including anti-racist practices in their work at campus. We use storytelling and Critical Race Theory (CRT) as tools to highlight and reflect over real life experiences at the university. All stories used in the workshops are based on real events from different universities and educational institutions in Finland, but rewritten to keep students and institutions anonymous. The workshops are developed in cooperation with PhD Aminkeng Alemanji Atabong
The workshops are conducted over three interactive 2,5 hour sessions:
1. Introduction to Anti-Racism
Central Terminology and a brief history of racism at the University
2. Whiteness and Finnishness
Central Terminology and whiteness and norms at the university
3. Anti-racist Strategies
Anti-racist practices and solutions at the University
Studycircle for youth aged 15-30
Once or twice a year we organize studycircles in dialogue, antiracism and equity for interested youth. The material for the studycircle is chosen according to current themes and debates in society, such as news articles and research papers/texts within the field of CRT (Critical Race Theory). The sessions include interactive discussions and exercises as well as guest lectures.
Equity and Dialogue
Ad Astra works continuously with proactive equity and dialogue both internally and externally. We believe that challenging systemic racism within organizations and institutions is a process that requires concrete tools,
methods and awareness in addition to proactive policy change.
methods and awareness in addition to proactive policy change.
Ad Astras produces storytelling performances, parties, exhibitions, drama and art education for children and young people and storytelling workshops. Our feast-calendar supports inclusive culture and helps educators and institutions to promote equality through art and culture.
Join our study circle for youth where we educate ourselves by reading literature and discussing issues related to equity, respect, dialogue, cultural heritage and discrimination.
The aim is for participants to understand their own position and how it affects and is affected by surrounding norms.
We also cooperate with DIVa rf to promote equity in kindergartens and create materials and tools to visualise racist structures both individually and institutionally and thus support staff.
We also cooperate with DIVa rf to promote equity in kindergartens and create materials and tools to visualise racist structures both individually and institutionally and thus support staff.
Materials
Below you'll find different published material from Ad Astra rf.
Steps Towards Antiracism
DIGITAL WORKBOOK 2022
We are a team of youth and students from the two organizations: Ad Astra rf. and One Step Ahead ry. (OSA). Together we have created this digital resource on racism and antiracism for anyone and everyone within the university community who wants or needs to learn more about these important topics.
Dialogue, Not Hate - Best practices for Citizen Dialogue
E-Book: 2022
12 European organisations, Ad Astra, Coexister, Connecting Actions, Faiths in Tunes, Fryshuset, G3i, GIP78, JUMA, the Muslim Jewish Conference, Sharing Perspectives Foundation, The Upper Room, and United Religions Initiatives, contributed to this book to share some of their concepts, tools and projects around citizen, intercultural, interfaith and interconvictional dialogue.
Dive in to know more about this diversity of approaches.
Dive in to know more about this diversity of approaches.
Our methods
We host workshops, storytelling events, feasts, educations, and exhibitions as well as create digi-tales, and publications.
Arts
Our work is shaped around and with storytelling, tales, music, drama, dance and visual arts.
We believe that arts and culture can make people come together, share, enjoy and learn.
We want to offer children and youth a chance to explore arts and cultures and take part in cultural heritage of many types.
We believe that arts and culture can make people come together, share, enjoy and learn.
We want to offer children and youth a chance to explore arts and cultures and take part in cultural heritage of many types.
Dialogue
Dialogue is a value and our way to communicate.
Repectful co-existence can thrive when everybody is given space and place. Dialogue is a field where expertise is needed, and we are continuously in contact with our partners in the European Institute for Dialogue to improve and learn more.
Repectful co-existence can thrive when everybody is given space and place. Dialogue is a field where expertise is needed, and we are continuously in contact with our partners in the European Institute for Dialogue to improve and learn more.
Education
Education is central to our organization, both when it comes to educating ourselves and others. In our workshops we use tools such as storytelling backed up by theoretical concepts and academic research. We promote equity and dialogue, working against racisms We also wish to spread knowledge about National Minorities in Finland.